Africa – The New Shooting Hub for Tollywood?

There was a time when Telugu filmmakers loved outdoor shoots. They went all out to capture natural beauty on screen. But in recent years, things changed. With the increasing use of smartphones and tighter schedules, most productions shifted to indoor sets. Only a handful of big films continued to explore outdoor locations.

Now, Tollywood seems to be rediscovering the charm of shooting outdoors, and Africa is turning into the next major destination.

Mahesh Babu and SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film, tentatively titled #Globetrotter, has already completed a schedule in South Africa. The film is said to be a mix of action, adventure, and mythology. The team will reportedly reveal the film’s title at a grand Hyderabad event next month, with the title glimpse expected on November 16. The buzz is that the film might be titled Varanasi.

Another major project heading to Africa is NTR and Prashanth Neel’s Dragon. The makers are planning a location recce in Tunisia, North Africa, from October 27 for a week. After a long break, the film’s shoot will resume soon. NTR will join the Hyderabad schedule by the end of November, and later, the team will move to North Africa for the next leg.

Both #Globetrotter and Dragon are large-scale action dramas mounted on massive budgets. The choice of Africa hints at Tollywood’s growing interest in exploring new landscapes and settings. If these films make the most of the continent’s untapped locations, Africa could soon become a preferred backdrop for Telugu cinema’s big ventures.